10 NFL Questions: Week 8

Week 7 might have been this year’s craziest for the NFL. A 62 yard field goal on the final play of the game? A 31-13 home loss for a team that went 10-0 on their turf in 2005? A win for the Raiders? What’s going on with the NFL? There are some questions that can be answered though. Here they are:Question 1: Who will win the Colts-Broncos slugfest?

The Colts at Broncos matchup might be the best of the year so far. These are two teams that we know are very good and there is a chance of them meeting again in the playoffs. There are two forces at work here that make this game very hard to predict. First off, the Broncos are playing at home. They haven’t lost at Mile High in the regular season since November 2004. Also, the Broncos’ defense has asserted itself as the best in the AFC, as they have allowed less than 10 points in each of the Broncos’ 5 wins.

However, whenever Peyton Manning plays in the regular season, you can expect the Colts to do well. In possibly the league’s best streak running, they have won 27 meaningful regular season games in a row. Manning is clearly an infinitely better quarterback than Jake Plummer, who has a 60.4 passer rating and 52% completion rate. The only reason Jay Cutler hasn’t been played is because the Broncos are winning. But let’s see what happens when they lose this one. Colts 23, Broncos 16.

Question 2: Are the Patriots back?

As everyone knows, 2005 was a down year for the Patriots. They followed up back-to-back 14-2 seasons and Super Bowl titles with a 10-6 effort. But this year, New England has quietly put up a 5-1 record, including three impressive wins in a row. Are they a prime contender in the tough AFC? I think so. They won one of the biggest road blowouts this season, a 38-13 stomping of Cincinnati. Last week they pummeled Buffalo 28-6 despite an indifferent effort by their offense. This is a team that can grind out a win without everyone having their best day. They can run the ball better than any of their recent teams, and Tom Brady is Tom Brady. It doesn’t seem like he’s done much this year, but he’s on pace for 27 touchdowns and just 10 picks.

The key to their schedule lies in the next two weeks. They face Minnesota this week, and the Vikings have great momentum. And in week 9, they’ll have the usual epic battle with Indianapolis. Other than that, the Pats can literally win out their schedule. So yes, they are back.

Question 3: Will the Giants or Eagles win the NFC East?

Everyone is excited about the Giants after their Monday night win over the Cowboys. That game, in addition to earlier road wins over Philly and Atlanta, means this Giants team can actually play well on the road! They also just got through the tough part of their schedule, though they do have remaining dates against Chicago, J-ville, Dallas again, Carolina, Philly again, and New Orleans. Still, Eli Manning and his receivers have looked very impressive.

But did anyone forget about the Eagles? This team has the best offense in football. They can pass the ball better than anybody, and receiver Reggie Brown finally gives D-Mac a reliable target. The Eagles can run the ball as well, averaging 5.2 yards a carry and 125 yards a game. The key for them is just to get a lead and keep it. Sorry for the Thiesmann-like remark, but that’s been the problem for Philly. They lost fourth-quarter leads to the Giants and Bucs, and had an awful first half against the Saints. Can they put it together for a whole game? And can they get a break? Right now I’m calling this division race dead even. Both teams will finish around 11-5.

Question 4: Can Seattle survive without Matt Hasselbeck?

Though the Seahawks’ Shaun Alexander won the MVP last year, Matt Hasselbeck was just as important to the team. Hasselbeck is an efficient, if not flashy, leader that produces well for the Hawks. Can they win with Seneca Wallace at quarterback instead of him? I’m saying no. Wallace is too inexperienced and too shaky to be an NFL starting quarterback. The team is already without Alexander, so Wallace doesn’t have a running game that can take some of the pressure off of him. The Hawks will get smoked this week in Kansas City, where the Chiefs are always tough. Then they get Oakland at home, which should be an easy win no matter who’s playing quarterback. But if Hasselbeck is out for week 10, a key divisional game against the Rams, then Seattle will have problems. A loss there could lead to them falling behind in the division, which they don’t want. Though they have an easy schedule over the rest of their season, they can’t afford to lose to St. Louis.

Question 5: Who’s the league’s worst team now?

The Raiders finally won last week, ending everyone’s hopes of seeing an 0-16 team. The victim was the Arizona Cardinals, who are 1-6 and not producing as the sleeper pick like many thought they would. The Raiders, Dolphins, and Cardinals all could claim the title of “league’s worst team.” Despite losing to the Raiders, I don’t think the Cardinals are the league’s worst team. They have played some close games against tough teams such as St. Louis, Kansas City, and Chicago (all at home). The Dolphins are close to the bottom, with awful losses to teams such as Houston, Buffalo, and Green Bay. But Oakland is still the league’s worst disaster. They have had the league’s worst quarterback play, with a 47.3 team rating and 11 interceptions to just 4 touchdowns. They have gotten blown away by teams such as Cleveland and San Francisco. They have an upcoming five-game stretch against Pittsburgh, Seattle, Denver, Kansas City, and San Diego. This team will be 1-10 after that stretch, and this team will finish 1-15. The Raiders, even after a win, are still horrific.

Question 6: Who has the power in the NFC South?

This one’s tough. The Falcons’ offense just exploded in a crucial win against Pittsburgh last week. They might be the league’s worst 4-2 team, and their defense has not performed as expected. Pittsburgh clocked them for over 400 yards in the air last week, and the Giants gashed them on the ground the week before. Get ready to see Cincy’s offense at its finest when the Falcons travel there this week.

Now it’s down to the Saints and Panthers. The Saints’ only loss was at the hands of the Panthers, and they have proven they can beat good teams with their defeat of Philadelphia. However, away from the Superdome this team has struggled, and they have their toughest road games down the stretch against Atlanta, Dallas, New York, and Pittsburgh. I think the Panthers are better than the Saints, though it may come down to a Week 17 showdown at the Superdome. If that game decides the race, then the Saints will win the division.

Question 7: Are the Vikings for real?

Last week, I said the Vikings and Falcons were the worst two teams with a winning record. Naturally, they both won. The Vikings-Seahawks result was the most puzzling to me. I thought they didn’t have any O, and they put 31 on the board in Seattle. I thought they couldn’t win on the road, and they ended Seattle’s long home winning streak. Still, Sunday’s game against the Patriots will show me whether this team is a force or a fraud. It should be a close game, but I honestly can’t picture the Pats losing. Prove me wrong (again), Vikings.

Question 8: Which teams are already out of the playoff hunt?

Wait till next September for these teams: Washington, Green Bay, Detroit, Arizona, San Fran, Buffalo, Miami, Cleveland, Houston, Tennessee, Oakland.

Teams on the brink: Dallas barely makes the cut with the introduction of Tony Romo era, but they’re still good enough to pull out some unexpected wins. The Steelers are the best 2-4 team in the NFL. They could easily be 4-2, and have the talent to win their division. They’ve just underproduced more than any other team in the league. Jacksonville is fading fast. They’re a team that can lose a game to a middle-of-the-road team, then come back and beat a tough team the next week. I’m not giving up on them yet. Kansas City has been wildly inconsistent from week to week, but looking at their schedule they could be a 10-win team (four home wins and road dates with Miami, Cleveland, and Oakland). If those four teams don’t make the playoffs, they’ll at least be the upset special.

Question 9: Is McNabb still the MVP favorite?

From a fantasy prospective, D-Mac has been the best player in the league. If you own him, your team is almost guaranteed to have a winning record at this point. But his costly interceptions, not the miraculous field goal, were what lost the game for Philly last week. He tossed up three rookie-grade picks, two for TD’s, which is the only way an opposing team can win despite being outgained by 300 yards. So, after that, he’s not my MVP favorite anymore.

I hate saying this, but the honor now goes to Peyton Manning. The Colts could easily be 2-4 without Manning’s outstanding play in the fourth quarter, including two comeback wins. As always he’s got plenty of impressive statistics. He leads the NFL in quarterback rating with 103.2, and has 12 TD’s to just two interceptions. Chalk up another 4200-yard, 30-touchdown season for Manning. This should be a very interesting two-way race the rest of the year.

Question 10: What are the picks for this week?

I’ve already stated the Colts (+3) over the Broncos. The Bengals (-3.5) will outlast the Falcons in what should be a shootout. The Patriots (-2) are just too good for the Vikings at this point, though with the Metrodome factor I could see Minnesota squeaking out a win. Take Carolina over Dallas and Kansas City over Seattle. Both of those team play at home against first-time starting quarterbacks. And my lock of the week: the Rams (-10) over the Chargers. This is one of the most ridiculous spreads I’ve seen this year; the Rams are coming off a bye week and have showed enough firepower to compete with San Diego. They won’t only cover; the Rams will win.

Disagree? Post a comment or email me at [email protected].